


Didn't Get It Right The First Time

by Jakixarv



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Apologies, Gen, during season 1, episode 6 just didn't feel completely right with how they convinced Julie to rejoin the band, post ep6-pre ep7, so i am adding extra apologizing and empathy, which basically makes it canon compliant considering perfect harmony eyebrow waggle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28317396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jakixarv/pseuds/Jakixarv
Summary: Apologizing with words wasn't Luke's forte--he's managed to get by so far expressing all the really difficult stuff through his music, so he's never...anyways.But there's air to clear still, even after rocking Eats&Beats and solidifying their status as band (again).
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina & Luke Patterson
Kudos: 30





	Didn't Get It Right The First Time

**Author's Note:**

> episode 6 was full of apologies but none of them felt Right or Complete to me, and honestly having one post-show still sits weird with me but I wished there had been more between Julie and Luke about the decision she made to rejoin the band. So I wrote something like that. There's a lot of mumbling and shame and maybe OoC speech patterns and the like, idk.  
> Thank you for reading! Hope you like it!  
> Thanks to the fandom for being a fun wacky and altogether supportive place.

Luke wiped his hands on his trousers. He was a _ghost_ , surely he shouldn’t have such sweaty hands?

Julie was in trouble with her dad. He wasn’t too worried about anything _untoward_ happening; he’d seen enough of the way Ray _was_ with his family to know that his biggest issue was Julie feeling the need to lie, not her playing the show. They’d figure it out.

They had to figure it out.

It was a total bummer that Julie felt she couldn’t tell the truth about the band to her family, but Luke was starting to see why. Even now, with everyone in the Molina household working forward from their grief, he could see the pressure to be _well-adjusted_ weigh on Julie’s shoulders.

A pressure that he and the band only added to with their stunt a few nights ago, ditching her at her school’s dance.

He wasn’t above admitting he was wrong, and he really hadn’t said much besides, _‘I’m so sorry,’_ with regard to the whole…situation. So he should at least—well, he should at least say _something_ more.

The push especially came when Reggie and Alex cornered him in the studio. They would later deny it, but whatever happened was _definitely_ cornering.

“Listen, Luke,” the two words from Alex immediately had him on edge. “No, really, I wouldn’t be like,” the drummer gestured to his solemn expression, “ _this_ , if this wasn’t important. Tonight was awesome. It was really great, and I think the band has a good chance of sticking things out.”

He shifted, then, uncomfortably, “but the air with all of us? Kind of needs clearing. Mostly between you and Julie.”

Reggie was nodding, “it’d be kind of a dick move to not let her hear a proper apology. Especially with everything around…well, around Bobby.”

“Dude, I already told you we’re done with Bobby. I’m leaving it— _we’re_ leaving it.”

Alex shrugged, obviously unconvinced, “Yeah, but did you tell _her_? Like, let _her_ know how much you’ve thought about it? Like _really_ thought about it, beyond whatever she figured out? We can’t solve everything by—by playing a show and realizing how perfect we all are together and let that be our only way of making up.”

Luke had a growing suspicion that these two had a larger part to play in convincing Julie to rejoin than she had let on.

But…Alex was right.

“Like, we’re not telling you to fix it immediately, because that’d basically be…impossible. These things take time. And we’re all gonna have to demonstrate we’re in it for _serious_.” Alex seemingly finished, before lifting his arms in another small shrug, “but we’re here for you, too.”

Reggie, frankly, was just looking at Alex with an expression akin to _awe_ on his face.

The _cornered_ feeling hadn’t really gone away, but Luke could feel the knee-jerk reaction of _fight back_ quickly fade into resignation, and just a _bit_ of shame. Letting his squared shoulders fall a bit, he shrugged back, “yeah, I know things’re still…weird. Sorry that I…kept pushing you guys about Bobby.” The anger wasn’t there anymore, really; it had just dulled into a deep… _grief_.

“Hey, hey hey, no, we made our own choices there, too,” Reggie said, “it sucks, what happened with him, and you’re right to be mad. Hell, I’m _pissed_ , but Julie’s—” he smiled, eyes shining, “she was right, y’know? We have this _new_ thing. And it’s—like, it’s _great_.” He let out a wet laugh, “well, circumstances aside.”

“We all want this, man,” Alex said, “Julie, too.”

All of them wanted to make this work.

That was the first thing Luke needed to believe, and he needed Julie to know she could believe it again too.

Luke was running into the main house before Alex and Reggie could tell him to wait until tomorrow morning, or at least _check_ if she and her dad had finished discussing things and decided on a punishment or something.

Taking a leaf from Reggie’s book, he stuck his hand through her door and knocked softly on the frame (wouldn’t do to have Ray walking in wondering about noises right now, of all times).

He heard a sigh from beyond the door, and then a quiet, “yeah?”

“I, uh, I was hoping we could talk. Um. About…today. Well—not just today, but, um…can we talk?” In that moment, every nerve in his ghost-body was screaming at him to _leave it_ , because really, he could wait for tomorrow, when the reality of the band was certain again, and the past would be done and gone, and…

And Alex and Reggie would _know_ , and—and _he_ would _know_ , that he had chances to set things right that he hadn’t taken, and—he _really_ didn’t need to go down that train of thought.

“Luke?” He started, realizing Julie was talking to him. He took a deep breath, and slipped through her bedroom door.

“Yeah?” He forced a small smile.

She was sitting up in her bed, pillows piled behind her. She had changed into pajamas at some point since they’d left her earlier, and she was looking at Luke with a bit of concern, a bit of uncertainty. “You…said you wanted to talk?”

Talk. Right. “I—yeah, I did. Um, great show tonight, Julie. Really. You were fantastic.”

The slight worry that creased her brow softened into a fond smile, “Thanks, Luke. You guys too, really. Even though…” she glanced toward her door with a brief roll of her eyes, “things _ended_ like that. It’s gonna be fine, though. I promise.”

“Yeah,” he rubbed a knuckle under his nose, “your dad’s cool, I figured he would understand.”

“Tell it to me when _you’re_ the one he’s glaring at,” Julie shot him a glare without any venom.

“You’re right, you’re right. Thanks for coming out anyway.” The acknowledgement had Julie smiling again, even if it was sad now.

“’Course I would. Was _totally_ worth it, too.”

“ _Definitely_ ,” Luke laughed.

They settled into something like amicable silence, but Luke could still feel the pressure of his original purpose for coming in sat in his stomach.

“I, uh, I’m here because I wanted to apologize. For the dance. What—what I did was selfish, and it ended with you getting hurt because of us—me.”

She raised an eyebrow, obviously not expecting…whatever this was. “I thought, we had already done the apologies?” Luke tried not to notice her pull a pillow close to her chest and just squeeze it there.

He scrunched one eye closed as he managed, “I, I know that, but I just…I didn’t get to tell you, everything?” He winced at how unsure his every word sounded. _Power through, Luke, c’mon._ “I wanted to let you know whatever happened with Bobby—Trevor, whatever—it’s over. Like you said, we have our own stuff—our own, _really_ good stuff.

“It’s just—we lost twenty-five years, you know? And the theft is already old news, so what’s done is done! Bobby’s the one that lost all his integrity, a long time ago. It’s just—we got here, in 2020, to find out that someone we thought was our _friend_ had _…”_ He was getting off-topic and making excuses. “And then I went and did the same thing to you, after all my preaching about how Bobby _deserved_...” He shook his head, letting out a cough. “…And that wasn’t okay, like, at _all_. None of it was. And I wanted to tell you I will do everything in my power to make sure I never do it again.

“And, yeah, I also know my—” he swallowed around a lump in his throat, “my word doesn’t mean much right now, but…” Luke’s gaze dropped to stare at his hands, curling and uncurling in his shirt. “If you’ll give me the chance to make up for it, I promise you…”

He looked up to see Julie standing in front of him, hands on her hips and comfort pillow forgotten in the pile on her bed. “Luke,” she said, as if checking to make sure his eyes were on _hers_. “Did Reggie and Alex bully you into doing this? Not--!” She stopped him before an affronted gasp could break out, “that does not _in any way_ invalidate your apology,” she smiled, before leaning in with a stage whisper, “just checking that I was right, though.”

She stepped back then, holding out a hand as if to set it on his shoulder, before she remembered _oh, right_. Luke tried to stop the way his face fell to reflect hers. She took a deep breath, then, squaring her shoulders and looking him in the eye, “I’m not forgetting, yet, but…I forgive you, Luke.”

Those words might have resurrected him, for the warmth and joy and _life_ he felt rise in his chest when she said them.

“You know this, yeah, but _each_ of us is an important part of the group. Whatever makes this ghost stuff work, the fact that it’s working right now, it’s great! But I—I’m not just there to be your guys’ conduit, you know?”

Immediately his relief was struck through with guilt. Because she thought the band was just _using_ her to—to be _seen_ again. They ever treated her poorly enough to lead her to that conclusion. Luke could feel the hunch of his shoulders as he began shrinking in on himself.

“I…we never wanted…” His voice broke again at the _excuses excuses excuses._ “I am _so_ sorry we…made you feel that way. That _I_ did. You _make_ this band what it is, Julie,” the echo of broken trust between them left Luke’s mouth too dry to say any more. It was just words, at this point. Words, words, words.

“Damn straight I do,” she smirked, “don’t you forget it.”

Luke tried to smile back, one of the impish and crooked ones he noticed got her smiling more than any other.

It must not have worked. Julie frowned, “Hey, guilt isn’t a good look on you. No more wallowing, okay? Remember that fucking _amazing_ show we played tonight?”

Like a light switch, really, it was so easy for Julie to say something and have Luke’s foul mood doing a complete one-eighty. Rolling his eyes, he said, “I dunno, I might need you to refresh some details for me.”

“Whatever, old man,” she slid back onto her bed, still sitting upright, before tentatively patting the edge in invitation to join her.

Sitting together. On her bed. Right.

Sending a quick prayer of forgiveness to Ray, he folded his legs to sit at the foot of the bed, letting Julie regale him with the entire night’s experience from her perspective, complete with many fibbing embellishments that Luke had all too much fun pointing out.

And the tension eased, just like they all knew it would, as they settled into the gentle present.

**Author's Note:**

> ONE DAY i will figure out proper and consistent formatting but tbh i am copy-pasting from word docs so that'll be a magical day if it comes
> 
> U may find me on tumbo @ gracefulsinkingships and on instagram @ kirrjaava


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